Tom Ciurczak, The Grahams, RSL, Phranque and Karabas Barabas
We take a listen to new vinyl from Tom Ciurczak, The Grahams, RSL, Phranque and Karabas Barabas.
Tom Ciurczak - Yorick - (Transparent turquoise color vinyl)
Ciurczak is a singer, guitarist and songwriter who works primarily in the blue collar rock genre and he honed his already considerable skills by attending one of Steve Earle's songwriting workshops. Here he presents a solid 10-song set that begins with "The Watcher," a cut that could fit into the Billy Joel oeuvre easily; other Side A highlights include the Bon Jovi-recalling "Wild One," the buzzing "You're Next" which makes a barbed statement about the place of the United States in regards to global security; the cut also has a stunning bass riff courtesy of Brandon Washington, one of several bass players who contribute here. Also on Side A is the title cut "Yorick;" you don't have to know anything about Yorick's role in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to dig the melancholy cut. Ciurczak starts Side B with "Chameleon," a cut that will appeal to fans of catchy pop rock as made by bands like Gin Blossoms; trumpet and trombone highlight the otherwise understated pop mood of "Top of the Rainbow" and the harmonica on "A.L.T.O.W.D" gives a heartland feeling to the melody (the title stands for "another long typical ordinary working day," by the way.) The song is apparently about brokering something illegal and a reference to poppy fields indicates it might be opium or heroin. There's some international intrigue involved in "Malleus Maleficarum" too, a cut where Ciurczak waxes Springteen-esque.
The Grahams - The Bridge - (Pink transparent vinyl)
Fronted by singer and guitarist Alyssa Graham and guitarist Doug Graham, here The Grahams offer a 10-song set that begins with the smooth pop groove "Worst Parts of Me," a reflection on a "star crossed love" that, judging by the somewhat loving tone the song is delivered in, couldn't have been all bad. Side A highlights include "The One Who Remembers," a cut featuring Rob Burger on piano that sparkles thanks to Alyssa's vocals, even though the subject matter is bleak, and the look back at youthful fun that is "The Best I Ever Had." The set of sublime pop continues on Side B with the look at a complicated relationship that is "Little Fires" and "Let's Disappear" where Alyssa's voice is so seductive that when she sings "You and me baby, let's disappear" many listeners will be thinking "Let's go!" The funky bounce of "Georgette" makes the song a mysterious treat and another cut featuring Burger's piano work, "Only New York" closes the set. The other members of The Grahams are Matt Chamberlain on drums, Sebastian Steinberg on bass Dex Green on vocals and multiple instruments, Aaron Lee Tasjan on vocals and guitar, Ray Jacido on keys and Patrick Warren on synths. Together all provide a jazz-tinged music bed for Alyssa to float her delightful vocals on.
Karabas Barabas - 99¢ Store
If you are familiar with Karabas Barabas you know that when the disc starts spinning that you should expect the unexpected. And expect it to be pleasingly weird! And the crazy begins right away as Side A kicks off with "Down in Mississippi" where singer Phranque Gallo intones the "down in Mississippi" chorus like a deranged imp while also playing squalling, psych-tinged guitar, with the overall effect being that the song sounds like something Jack White would come up with while having a nightmare. In other words, cool man! Elsewhere on the A Side Gallo mixes sludge and psych with twisted Danny Elfman-style vocals on the somewhat cryptic "The Tale of Lahojevich," another groove that is oddly mesmerizing. By now the unexpected is thoroughly expected so it's no surprise that side closer "Ode to the Disenchanted Cottage" has a militant beat and lyrics that include "Elvis was a gay Black man/Eating peanut butter from the can" and there's even a little Gary Numan-like synth thrown in for good measure. Side B is just as weird; the brief "TP" is about exactly what you'd think (and with great guitar) while "This Time," the most normal song on the album, stretches to nearly eight minutes as Gallo explores a mashup of eerie alt rock with prog leanings. "Deranged and Dangerous Man" is an expletive-laden rant set to a circus-like melody. Yeah! Notable too is that the album was recorded and mixed by the late Steve Albini. When the LP stops spinning listeners are going to want more of Gallo's music and they can either play it again or check out another of Gallo's offerings, the saner
Phranque album which was recorded with several of the same players as the Karabas Barabas album. It features sparkling alt rockers like "Rendezvous," "Tropical Prison," the uke featuring "Mahalo" and the totally not at all weird "The Haunted Mask of Lono."
RSL - Welcome to Keyser
RSL is a trio made up of singer and guitarist Anthony Rogers, guitarist, singer, keys player and percussion man Jay Stickley and drummer and singer Bart Lay, with the band name being derived from the initials of their last names. Harmony vocals highlight the sublime Side A opener "Roll on Potomac," a cut that sets the tone for the album which is themed around Keyser, a small town in West Virginia that is the band's hometown. As such there are lots of references to family and local lore, including the tale of a serial bank robber that plays out in "Never Before (The Legend of Roy Plummer)," a blot on the area's otherwise idyllic reputation (an insert included in the album has a news clipping about how Plummer killed himself when cornered.) Sharp ears will hear a bit of a heavy metal backing to the song and the harder edge fits perfectly for the subject matter. Most of the album though is mellow, as reflected in the instrumental "Potomac Valley Jecho," the twang infused bright pop of "Somebody Someday" and the slightly trippy vocalizations on "A Sad Song in Your Heart" And of course there are songs about local girls, or one song really in two versions; "Keyser Girls 2" and "Keyser Girls 1," both of which extol the pleasures and perils of falling for one of these ladies. Both versions owe something to the Beach Boys with the harmonies being especially lush on "Keyser Girls 1." Another shout out to Keyser is "Keyser Crew," a power pop cut which adds being chased by the cops into the mix. The package includes an insert with lots of vintage photos as well as song lyrics.
